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Apple to Introduce ‘Greatly Improved Maps’ for China

Apple has pledged to make significant changes to its mapping services in China, nearly 18 months after launching the product. Apple Maps received negative feedback worldwide following its release in 2012, but the glitches and issues were most prominent in China — and even included a geopolitical blunder. But Apple hopes the problems will soon become a thing of the past. Speaking at the company’s annual WWDC event, Craig Federighi, Apple SVP of software engineering, said the new iOS 8 mobile platform would include “greatly improved maps” for China, including the release of vector maps in the country for the first time. Maps is a hotly competitive space in China, and it’s not wonder Apple is making improvements. Alibaba spent over $1 billion buying Autonavi, the software that powers Apple Maps, and it has plans to turn that mapping experience into something akin to a browser, with links to its e-commerce empire. Not to be outdone, fierce rival Tencent bought 10 percent of NavInfo for $187 million, as it brings better mapping to its popular WeChat app. Apple is increasing its efforts to attract new users in China, especially after it finally secured a partnership to offer its devices via China Mobile, the world’s largest operator. Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that half of the iOS devices bought in China over the last 12 months were sold to customers who switched over from Android. Apple adding more features to boost its local appeal — iOS 8 will include support for the lunar calendar, while Apple claims users will see improvements to local weather data and better Chinese language input. Read next: Google teams up with fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg for new Glass frames and shades Source.

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